Sanitary couplings are used in food processing, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries, where fluid lines are required to be joined by abutting unions of sanitary fittings so that fluid entrapment within parts of the connector body does not occur. Common sanitary fluid couplers rely on manual clamps to apply pressure to abutting components and secure them together, as is illustrated in prior art FIG. 6. These can be complicated assemblies which are often difficult to assemble by one person and can cause or contribute to repetitive motion injuries. These prior art fittings are also prone to being applied with only partial engagement, resulting in insufficient coupling pressure and consequent joint leakage or even separation. Various industry standards, including ISO 2852, ASME BPE, and 3-A, define the geometry and properties of “sanitary” fittings. Included are requirements that a sanitary fitting be suitable for operation at 150 psi fluid pressure, and be tested at up to 450 psi.
So-called “quick-connect” fittings are sometimes used in non-sanitary plumbing applications, such as hoses for emptying septic systems and pumping water from construction sites, but these fittings are not applicable to sanitary fitting applications, since they cannot meet the standards required for a sanitary fitting. In particular, while the quick-connect mechanisms of these prior art fittings serve to prevent the fittings from separating, they do not apply pressure to abutting components so as to form a gasket seal. In fact, these prior art quick connect fittings generally rely on threaded connections to form a fluid seal. This approach is not adaptable to sanitary fittings, because such threaded connections tend to provide opportunities for fluid entrapment, and cannot provide the pressure resistance required for a sanitary fitting. Also, such quick-connect fittings of the prior art require that both halves of the fitting be specially adapted for quick connection, and are therefore not suitable for quick connection to standard, pre-existing fittings.